Love in the Dark
by TheSummerNightingale
Summary: 5 drabbles of Regulus and Barty from the beginning to the end. (After all, love in the Dark Side can only go so far.)
1. Quidditch Under the Sky

**Written for the 5 Drabbles Competition:** _Regulus Black/Barty Crouch Jr. - navy blue, cotton candy, rocking chair, fighting, "My Immortal" by Evanescence_

 **Navy Blue (color) - WC: 224**

* * *

Under the dark sky that is speckled with silver faerie lights of stars, Regulus Arcturus Black zooms across the Quidditch field chasing a little ball charmed to have wings.

The big game against Gryffindor is tomorrow - the thought makes him grit his teeth and lean forward - and he is determined that he won't let the other Seeker get the Snitch first. He grips the broomstick and dives as fast as he can - he will _not_ allow his traitor of a brother that satisfaction -

"You're going to hurt yourself if you go on like that!"

The yell comes from the other side of the pitch, and Regulus just manages to pull his broom to a stop to see Barty Crouch Jr. grinning as he mounts his own broomstick.

"Game's tomorrow," Regulus replies, but for some reason, he can already feel the tension slipping out of his bones at the sight of his friend.

"I know. I'll help you practice."

Later, when they've exhausted themselves from flying, the two fifth years will lay on the grass, broomsticks forgotten. They will laugh and talk and then turn to each other, and each will notice how the other's eyes reflect the navy blue sky. And it is with their identical pools of navy blue that they will acknowledge all that is unsaid between them.


	2. Sweet as Candy

**Cotton Candy (smell) - WC: 277**

* * *

"What's that?" Regulus slides onto the couch next to Barty and eyes the parcel of a sticky cloudlike substance sitting in Barty's lap. "Salazar. What _is_ that?"

Barty wrinkles his nose at the saccharine sweet smell and snatches the opened package away. "Candy. From my mother. It's called candied cotton or something like that."

"Is it any good?" Even as he says this, Regulus snatches a little bit of the stringy candy and lifts it to his mouth.

"Don't! No - argh -" Barty moans as Reg places the candy on the tip of his tongue. He mutters under his breath, "It's _muggle_ candy," and wonders why his mother would even send him something like this.

Regulus doesn't hear him; this is obvious because his face lights up and he exclaims, "Oh, this stuff is excellent! Here, try it."

"No thanks," Barty says and backs away from his outstretched hand. "No, I'd really rather not -" He suddenly loses his grip on the couch and falls to his side onto the cushion. Regulus, who's leaning forward, falls on top of him and the two find their faces inches apart.

Barty can make out every single one of Reg's features but he doesn't because all he's thinking about is the feel and smell of Reg's sweet breath on his face and his fingers on his arm and his eyes locked on his and his leg pressed against his and - and then - the glorious feeling of his lips on his -

And Barty can taste the candied cotton or cotton candy or whatever it is on Reg's tongue, and decides that it isn't so bad after all.


	3. Our Chair of Love

**Rocking Chair (object) - WC: 199**

* * *

In the corner of the bedroom in their flat, there is an old rocking chair. Regulus had found it lying around in the attic of his parents' house and brought it over to decorate their new apartment. Mostly, the chair remains empty and unused. (Both Regulus and Barty are busy with their… jobs, especially since Barty has recently ascended to the inner ranks of their master's.)

But on the occasion that they both have time to relax, one of them might curl up into the rocking chair and teeter back and forth until the other notices. If Barty is in the chair, then Reg wedges into the space next to him, their sides touching from the shoulder down. If Reg is in the chair, Barty shamelessly seats himself in his lover's lap.

And then the two talk. They breathe in the other's intoxicating scent, they press kisses in to each other's necks, and they cuddle in the old chair until they fall asleep.

Neither talk about the crude events of their day, and the Dark Lord - the one who cannot understand love like this - isn't mentioned at all when they are in their shared rocking chair.


	4. Fighting Different Battles

**Fighting (action) - WC: 385**

* * *

It's an honor to fire the Dark Mark into the air after a successful raid. Every Death Eater knows this, but sometimes, Regulus thinks that he's not the only one who's a bit uneasy to do it. There's something almost chilling about seeing the green light spill out of his wand to take the form of a skull and a snake.

Tonight, Regulus and Barty are on the same raid. They've targeted the McKinnons' house, and even as Regulus rushes into the foray, he can see that the family is putting up a good fight.

But not good enough. He spots his lover battling the little McKinnon boy (he is about sixteen but can put up a good fight) and almost loses his focus as he sees the look on Barty's face.

"Come on, little boy! Fight harder, fight for your life! This is what you get for being a traitor!"

Barty's distorted voice sends shivers up Regulus's spine, and he changes his path from Marlene McKinnon to her brother. Rather, to Barty.

He isn't sure what he's going to do, but he knows seconds before it happens that he wants to prevent the green light of death from shooting from Barty's wand. He yells when it hits the boy - he can hear the girl yell in anguish and he can hear Barty yell too, but Barty's shout is one of _triumph_ while his own is one of - he doesn't know.

"We did it!" Barty roars and jumps wildly just as the girl crumples to the ground like the rest of her family already has. He wastes no time in aiming his wand over the house and shouting fearlessly, " _Morsmordre!_ "

It's Reg's eyes playing tricks on him in the navy blue sky, but he can swear that Barty's Dark Mark is _alive_ as it paints itself in the night and hisses at the broken McKinnon house below.

* * *

Later that night, he and Barty sit in their rocking chair. Gone are their black Death Eater robes and masks. Gone is Barty's memory of the McKinnon raid just hours ago. Gone is the maniacal glint in Regulus's lover's eyes. Everything is calm and everything is back to normal.

But Regulus hasn't forgotten about the dead McKinnon boy. And he is certain that Barty has.


	5. Immortal Aching

" **My Immortal": Evanescence (song) - WC: 395**

 **Hogwarts Speed Drabble - 1 hour,** " _Every time I see you, my heart breaks just a little bit more", cloak, underneath_

* * *

It has been three months since Regulus disappeared and never came back.

Barty spends most of his nights out of the apartment that teems with memories of Reg on the chair, in the kitchen, in their bed, but even the strongest drink at the Leaky Cauldron isn't enough to drive the wounds and pain out of his heart. Even three months of knowing Reg will never return cannot erase his lingering presence.

* * *

 _He can't comprehend why Reg is standing, fully dressed, at the door of their bedroom with his Invisibility Cloak and a long gold necklace in his hands. All he know is that it's four in the morning and Reg is, for some reason, leaving._

" _Where are you going?"_

 _Regulus flinches but says stiffly, "Go back to sleep. Don't make this harder."_

" _Did the Dark Lord send -"_

" _Don't say his name!" Barty stares, shocked, as Regulus's stoic facade cracks a little. He knows Reg well enough to see the pain in his grey eyes underneath the stiff figure and monotonous voice. Reg continues quietly, "He does things to people. Me, Kreacher._ You _."_

* * *

He can hear his voice. Every word is ingrained into his memory as they will always be. It's unfair. It's just bloody unfair that Barty has to be bound to the life that Regulus left behind.

Sometimes he blames Reg for his pain. But mostly, he just aches, unable to do anything else.

* * *

" _What are you talking about?"_

 _The words visibly break free from his lover. "Every time I see you, my heart breaks just a little bit more. I wouldn't leave if I didn't have to, or if I thought you'd understand. The Lord - he -"_

" _You're leaving." Barty and Regulus can both feel the heaviness underneath the simplicity of the statement._

 _Regulus swallows hard and says, "I love you. I'm sorry." And then he disappears under his Invisibility Cloak before Barty can even shout his name over the_ crack _of Apparition that follows._

* * *

It's been three months since Reg left and never looked back. (He's probably dead.)

But dead or not, as Barty sits alone in their old rocking chair, he knows that Regulus Black still owns every bit of him. He has taken all of Barty and has yet to give it back.

And he lives on the hope that someday, he will.


End file.
